IMO 3D touch on the edge was a better multitasking gesture than the new method. You could do that from pretty much anywhere along the screen, whereas the new method you have to reach to the bottom. Apple has not done nearly enough to maximize 3D Touch as a useful technology.
It's only my first day with the X so maybe I'll change my mind, but so far I'm finding that gesture-based stuff is less intuitive, less quick, and less satisfying than the home button and 3D Touch stuff was. Then again, I didn't like the new non-mechanical home button at first either, and that only lasted a day.